


Too strong for gender

by alinal



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aromantic Toph Beifong, Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Badass Toph Beifong, Coming Out, Gen, Group Hug!, Post-Canon, Toph Beifong-centric, Trans Zuko (Avatar), but it's not mentioned, nb toph, they/them pronouns for toph, trans toph
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26889922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alinal/pseuds/alinal
Summary: Toph doesn't feel like a girl. But is that even a option? And if so how can they tell people? (yes it's a option zuko tells them this and in return they are like "have you considered the possibility you're autistic?"
Relationships: Toph Beifong & The Gaang, Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 10
Kudos: 179





	Too strong for gender

**Author's Note:**

> look i write coming out fics and coming out fics only help. this is me-service. also, just a warning, toph is their usual blunt self and in anger/misunderstanding says some ableist things but i promise they don't mean them. this is just what i want to read so i'm sorry if it doesn't make any sense to anyone else

Toph didn't cry much. It seemed pointless, in the grand scheme of things, to cry about problems when you could be fixing them. But she was crying now, ugly crying. Why? Because she had encountered a problem she couldn't fix. She couldn't even try, because just thinking about it made her end up like this, sobbing. She hated it.

" _ Fuck."  _ This wasn't good. This was, in fact, very bad. Normally she'd break down, have a cry, then buck up and be strong again. There seemed to be no end in sight this time though. The sand where she lay was finding its way into her clothes, her mouth, but she couldn't be bothered to fix it.

"Toph? You disappeared. Are you okay?" Of course it was Zuko, because at this point the universe hated her. Sure, he might be pretty cool normally, but she was not in the mood for making everything painfully clear to him so he would understand. He was a good friend most of the time, though. But he was still fire nation and had never learned to be emotionally helpful.

“Oh, just  _ wonderful _ ." She hoped he’d go away. But he didn't. He got closer, closer, and then he stopped. Toph felt sure this was because he'd heard her sobs even though she couldn't see his face.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm happy."  _ Idiot. _

"Really?"  _ Fuck _ , she had forgotten Zuko had no concept of sarcasm.

"No, idiot, I'm not okay. I have problems and I can't solve them." She wasn't a coward, she could tell him.

"Are they flammable?"

"What?" She almost laughed. Of course Zuko would make a joke, of course he wouldn't understand the gravity of the situation.

"If your problems involve a physical thing, I'll light them on fire for you."

"I'm touched, but no. I don't feel like burning today."

"Why are you your problem?"

"I don't know! Can you use your brain for once? Maybe the fire nation is fucked up but you can't be that stupid." Zuko didn't say a thing, but Toph could feel him backing away, then running. She had scared him away. Good. She'd deal with this on her own. She didn't need anyone's help.

Except then she could feel Katara's and Sokka's footsteps moving towards her.

"Toph! What did you do to Zuko? I thought we agreed he's on our side, but apparently you didn't get the message and now he's crying. Aang's trying to calm him down, but whatever you-" She paused. "Are you crying?"

"Yes! And that idiot came out here and failed to think for one second and blundered around emotionally like he always does and made it worse, so don't go feeling sorry for him." Sokka started to say something, but Katara hushed him.

"What's wrong?" She said, her voice concerned.

"What's wrong is that I'm not strong enough to deal with a stupid emotion!"

"Toph. You are the strongest person I know, not to mention the most powerful earth bender ever." Sokka wasn't lying. "But emotions are fucking hard. They're hard for everyone."

"Hard to experience! But not nearly as hard to understand, if you're not a dunderhead. Like Zuko." Katara cleared her throat.

"Toph, emotions may be easy for you to understand, but they can be really hard for some people. Zuko really struggles with them. He can't look at people and tell what they're feeling."

"Neither can I, and I don't act half as stupid."

"Okay. Look, this isn't about Zuko."

"Damn right it isn't!"

"So what's wrong?" Sokka cut in, his voice worried.

"Don't think I'm stupid."

"I-"

"We."

"Would never."

"I'mnotagirlbutI'mnotaboyanditsucks." It all came out in one rush, all the feelings she had been hiding, too scared to deal with. Because Sokka was right. Feelings were really hard to deal with. But they were easier if you had help, and the only way to get that was to be brave enough to share.

"Toph, I love you like siste- uh, sibling and I always will, but neither Katara or I know much about this. The southern water tribe had always been accepting, but in a very chill way. Zuko's the expert here, but he's, uh, otherwise indisposed."

"Actually, Sokka, you should go see if he can come. And bring Aang, I want to have a group hug. Toph, I love you too. Can I hug you?" Katara's voice was so kind, Toph was caught off guard.

"I don't  _ need  _ a hug, because I'm strong."

"People can be strong and still cry, and still get hugs, and still feel sad or scared."

"But I want a hug because I'm not a coward who's too scared to accept human interaction."

"That's right. You're a wonderful, strong, powerful, awesome, amazing person." As Katara reassured Toph, she moved towards her (them? Was that an option?) and put her arms around them. "Toph, I'm so proud of you. That took so much courage. It takes even more courage to be so ready to ask for and accept help."

"I know. I'm amazing." Toph's words were confident, but their voice shook.

"You are." They sat in silence for a little while, Katara gently rubbing circles on Toph's back.

"Enough touchy-feely, here comes Zuko." (Secretly, Toph was glad that Katara didn't let go for another couple of moments.)

Zuko's footsteps were shaky, and Aang quietly whispered to him in concerned tones. Maybe he had been crying. (But why? She had just pointed out his mistakes.) When he spoke, it was in a soggy but determined tone.

"Toph, can we talk?"

"Group hug first, in honor of Toph!" Interjected Aang. Toph grumbled, but only because they knew that the group knew they didn't mean it. (Except maybe Zuko.) It was nice, being in the middle of their people. This was their family, and hugs were an integral part of that. Even Zuko joined, despite the fact that he usually stayed away from physical contact. After a minute or two, however, he pulled away and walked off to one side. Toph followed, reluctant to leave the hug.

"So."

"So."

"You're…"

"Not a girl or a boy. Why are you the expert?"

"Of course! You don't know!"

"Don't know what?" Toph was defensive.

"I'm trans, Toph."

"Huh?"

"I'm transgender. I used to be a princess."

"You were a princess."

"Well, technically I was always a prince, just no one else knew."

"You were a princess, but now you're a prince?"

"Yes, Toph, I've said that multiple times."

"So because you were a girl, but now you're a boy, you're called trans."

"Because I have a body people mistake as a girl's body, but I was always a boy, I am trans."

"Because I've always been a not-girl-not-boy, but I seem like a girl, I'm trans."

"Spirits, yes. Are they not accepting in the earth kingdom or something?"

"They can't be any less accepting then the fire nation!"

"Just because my bastard father is a shithead doesn't mean everyone is. The fire nation had always been one of the most accepting nations, before the loser lords." Zuko suddenly sounded stiff, angry.

"I guess in the earth kingdom people are trans and stuff, but no one talks about it. There's not really words."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Sparky, I'm alive aren't I."

"Mmm." He sounded distracted.

"What's on your mind?"

"Can we talk about a me problem?"

"Fine, whatever."  _ I'll be glad to hear his secrets for a change. _

"What you said before really hurt me. And I'm not going to blame you, because I tried to kill you, so it's not really important, but I want you to understand why it hurt me."

"If my feelings are important yours are important too. That's math. So go ahead."

"I don't understand feelings like you or Katara or Sokka or Aang. I don't know what to say and I don't understand all the tiny social rules. I know you act like you don't, but you do and just ignore them. I have to work so hard to just seem slightly polite and I thought maybe you all would understand, but then you yelled at me!" 

"I don't even know what you're mad at me for, because from my side I was being completely polite. I hate yelling too, it's really overwhelming and brings up bad memories. And then you kept yelling and crying and it's not your fault but it made me really panicky and I hated it." Toph listened very carefully and nicely and then doubled over and started laughing. Zuko took a couple steps back, probably ready to run, but Toph reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you? Are you, have you considered, hah, are you autistic?"

"Am I autistic." Zuko sounded slightly scared, but contemplative.

"Do you know what that even means?"

"Yes!"

"Okay. Well, are you?"

"I don't know! Maybe? It would fit, I think. Why was that your first thought?"

"The earth kingdom had a big mental health push. We had units about it in school, and pamphlets. My mother read one to me."

"Huh."

"I'm really sorry for yelling at you. Really sorry. You sound sad, and I want to give you a hug. Can I?"

"Yes." Toph moved in, their arms already open. They were much shorter than Zuko, but that was okay.

"Trans buddies?" They asked.

"Trans buddies," Zuko answered.

**Author's Note:**

> please leave kudos and comments love you byeeeeeeee


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